Utah-based regional carrier Skywest Airlines has announced that it signed a contract with Embraer for a firm order of seven Embraer E175 jets.
The airline will operate the aircraft in a 70-seat configuration on behalf of Delta Air Lines on regional services. Embraer says that the order was already included in its 2019 second-quarter backlog as an undiclosed customer. Deliveries are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Besides signing a new order, Skywest announced that it cancelled an order for three new E175 aircraft that were scheduled for service with Alaska Airlines in 2021.
Furthermore, Skywest will operate six used E175 aircraft for Delta under a multi-year contract scheduled to begin in early 2020. The aircraft are financed by Delta and were previously operated by the US regional carrier Compass Airlines.
Skywest already has a fleet of over 150 Embraer E175 aircraft in service for several major airlines in the US, including Delta Connection, as well as over hundred CRJ jets. In addition to Skywest Airlines, other regional carriers are also operating flights under the Delta Connection brand. However, Delta plans to reduce the number of Delta Connection operators from five to only three.
Read more: Earlier this year, Skywest Airlines ordered an additional nine Embraer E175 jets.
Nick Wenzel founded International Flight Network in 2016. He is the Social Media Manager and an Editor for IFN.news.
